Full-fashioned knitting machine



March 4, 1941. J MOYER 2,234,160

FULL-FASHIONED KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 26, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY March 4, 1941. D. MQYER 2,234,160

FULL-FASHIONED KNITTING momma Filed Dec. '26, 1939 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR v U, m

' ATTORNEY March 4, 1941. J MOYER 2,234,160

FULL-FASHIONED KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 26, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 HUI! El lll RIB

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Mill-Ill! i an! Patented Mar. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE John D. Moyer, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Holeproof Hosiery (70., Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application December 26, 1939, Serial No. 310,939

12 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improvement in full-fashioned knitting machines, that is, in fiat knitting machines of they cotton frame type particularly adapted for the production of 5' full-fashioned hosiery.

An object of the invention is to provide a knitting machine of this character, which is capable of producing a net or lace effect in full-fashioned hosiery and of accomplishing this by transfer- 10 ring loops from certain needles in selected courses to other needles thereof, by dropping stitches or loops from selected needles, or by a combination of both operations.

Another object of the present invention is to so improve and supplement the standard or conventional type of full-fashioned knitting machine as to render it capable of producing lace or net effects in full-fashioned hosiery without in any wise impairing its capacity to perform its normal knitting operations or its capacityfor quantity production of high-grade hosiery with economy and efiiciency.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improvement of this character which is simple and durable in construction, reliable and efficient in operation, readily and easily controlled, and adapted to be manufactured and installed with a moderate expenditure of time, labor, and money. a Another object of the invention is to provide a full-fashioned knitting machine which is capable of producing fancy or drop-stitch work in varied patterns.

The mechanisms embodying the present invention are so constituted that they may be comp'actly and closely organized with the instrumentalities of the knitting machine with which they are combined, and their action is so smoothly and effectively coordinated with the operation rotatesbut is shiftable longitudinally inorder to 55 bring the narrowing cams into action to impart ferent dipping and lifting movements to the narrowing mechanism. 1

Generally speaking, the present invention proposes to combine a picot bar and a drop-stitch bar with the dipping frame of the narrowing" 5 mechanism so as to utilize the dipping and lifting movements of the dipping frame to lower and raise these bars into and out of cooperation with the needles. The pi cot bar is provided with conventional transfer points. The drop-stitch bar is provided with drop-stitch points of special construction. Both bars are supported on the dipping frame so as to be manually shiftable from operative to inoperative position, and vice versa. Both bars may be shifted toinoperative or idle position so as not to interfere with the performance of the conventional narrowing op eration by the conventional elements of the narrowing mechanism.

In a knitting machine constructed in accordance with the present invention, the narrowing chain has extra lugs to cause the main cam shaft to shift longitudinally atthe proper timesto bring into action the cams thereon which dip and lift the narrowing mechanism to impart the required raising and lowering movement to the picot bar and drop-stitch bar at the proper times.

In so far as the drop-stitch bars are concerned -it is necessary only that they be raised and lowered, but the picot bars must not only be raised and lowered but also moved back and forth laterally, and must be given lateral movements of difamplitudes. The present invention, therefore, provides a separate and special pattern mechanism for the picot bars.

This separate and special pattern mechanism comprises a slide shiftable laterally and interconnected with the picot bar, a pattern chain having lugs of different sizes for imparting movements of different amplitude to the slide and for pre-positioning and traversing the picot bar as the pattern chain is advanced, and a step-bystep motion mechanism for driving the pattern chain from the cam shaft when the cam shaft is shifted longitudinally under the control of the narrowing chain.

When the drop-stitch bar is in operation, and its points descend, they engage the beards of the needles and close them. The drop-stitch points .are shorter than the conventional transfer points and do not reach down far enough to pick up the stitches but do close the beards of the needles so as to allow the stitches to ride thereoff under the influence of the knock-over bits.

Other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in front elevation illustrating a portion of a conventional fullfashioned knitting machine having the dipping frame of its narrowing mechanism equipped with a picot bar and a drop-stitch bar in accordance with the present invention, only a fragment of the drop-stitch bar being shown, the view also illustrating the separate pattern mechanism provided for laterally shifting the picot bar.

Figure 2 is a view in end elevation of the knitti'ngmachine as shown in Fi ure 1. J

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view in top plan showing how the slide of the separate pattern mechanism coacts with the picot bar shaft for controlling the lateral position and movements of the picot bar.

Figure 4 is a view in transverse section taken on line 44 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view in front elevation on an enlarged scale, and with parts broken away to show how the lugs of the pattern chain are interrelated with the slide.

Figure 6 is a view in cross section taken on the line 6-6 of Figure .1; and

Figure '7 is a diagrammatic view illustrating" the manner in which each drop-stitch point co-acts with the beard of a needle to close the same and allow the stitch to ride 011 of the needle. .under'the influence of the knock-over bits.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral, l0 designates generally the frame ofa straight fullfashioned knitting machine of the cotton frame type. This type of machine has the usual needle bar ll carrying spring-beard needles l2. The usual needle cooperating. elements are provided,

and are designated generally at I3, and comprise, as usual, sinkers and dividers, collectively designated at l4, and knock-over bits I5. The needles and their cooperating elements are actuated in the usual way from the main cam shaft l6 of the machine by means of cams on the cam shaft and appropriate link and lever mechanism, which is, of course, well-known and need not be described in detail.

This type of knitting machine also has the usual narrowing mechanism which comprises a dipping frame, designated comprehensively at IT, and consists of a rear narrowing shaft l8 which serves as a support or fulcrum for curved lever arms I9, the forward portions of which provide the bearings for a front narrowing shaft 20. This dipping frame carries the usual laterally adjustable narrowing rods and narrowing points, which, since they form no part of the present invention, are not shown.

For the purpose of the present invention it is sufiicient to explain that dipping and lifting movements are imparted to the narrowing frame by means of a cam 2| fixed on the main cam shaft l6, and acting through the usual link and lever mechanism 22 to raise and lower the dipj ping frame when the cam 2| is brought into cooperation with the follower roller 23 of this link and lever mechanism. The raising and lowering of the frame I1 is controlled in the usual manner, that is from a narrowing chain 25 ilthrough conventional mechanism to cause the main cam shaft IE to shift axially at'the proper time to bring the cam 2| into engagement with the follower roller 23 and so raise and lower the dipping frame. The present invention also proposes to provide additional lugs 21 on this chain 25, which are designed to raise and lower the dippi frame, as required, to effect the transfer of stitches and the dropping of stitches as may be necessary to produce a lace or net effect in the fabric. When the lugs 21 operate to raise and lower the clipping frame, the knitter has manually thrown the narrowing mechanism out of operation so that the usual narrowing points, while moving up and down with the dipping frame, are beyond the selvedges of the fabric being knitted, and hence merely idle and do not function.

At suitably spaced points on the dipping frame bearing brackets are provided and have horizontally alined hearings to support a picot bar shaft 3| and a drop-stitch bar shaft 32. picot bar shaft 3!! is supported in its bearings for rotation and for axial or lateral shifting movement, but it is constrained to move up and down with the clipping frame. A picot bar, designated at 33, is provided on the shaft 3| for each section of the knitting machine. Each picot bar 33 has supporting lugs 34-rigid with its frame and fixed to the picot bar shaft. Each picot bar carries a suitable number of transfer points 35 which are of conventional construction. In the particular construction shown there is one transfer point provided for each eight needles, but of course this may be varied in accordance with variations in the lace or net eifect to be produced. One or more coil springs 36 encircles the picot bar shaft and abuts one of .the brackets 30 at one end and acts to bias the picot bar shaft to move toward the right, as viewed in Figure 1, each spring being effective for this purpose by virtue of the fact that one end thereof bears against a bracket 30 and the other end thereof bears against a collar 31 suitably fixed to the picot bar shaft.

arate pattern mechanism for the picot bar shaft,

which separate pattern mechanism is designated at 40. The pattern mechanism 40 comprises a slide 4| having its base fitted for sliding or reciprooatory movement in suitable ways 42 provided on the frame of the knitting machine. One end of the slide has a flat faced upright 43 I which engages the adjacent end of the picot bar shaft. The base of the slide opposite the upright 4| is provided with a follower roller 44. The roller 44 is engaged successively by the lugs 45 of a pattern chain,.designated generally at 46. The chain 46 is endless and has its upper loop reeved about a supporting or idling pulley 41, whereas its lower bight or loop 'is trained about and has driving engagementwith a driving roller 48. The run of the chain, which is engageable with the roller 44, is designated at 49, and as shown is vertically disposed, and is backed up adjacent the follower roller by means of a guide 50 through which the lugs of the chain slide. The guide 50 is suitably fastened are vertically alined with the needles.

to the knitting machine frame, and as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 has a guideway or groove therein for thepattern lugs. The guide groove is shallow, however, so that even the smallest of the pattern lugs has its outside face projecting beyond the margins of the guide groove.

The pattern chain is advanced step-by-step by a suitable step-by-step motion mechanism, which comprises a ratchet wheel 55, the driving roller 48 and a detent wheel 51. These three elements are fastened together and turn as a unit. They are supported for rotation by means of a fixed shaft 56 carried by suitable supports provided therefor on the knitting machine. A pawl 58 cooperates with the ratchet wheel 55 and is supported on a rock lever 59. The rock lever 59 is rocked to oscillate it from the main cam shaftl6. For this purpose the main cam shaft I6 is provided with an idle cam .69 and an operating cam 6|. The operating cam 6| has two dwells 62 and B3 thereon, The cam BI is brought into operation by a longitudinal shifting of the main cam shaft 16, which is effected from the narrowin chain under control of the special lugs 21 provided thereon. When the cam 6| is shifted to operative position it engages a follower roller 64, which is rotatably mounted on a lever 65 suitably fulcrumed on the machine and connected by means of a driving link 66 to the rocking lever 59. It is obvious that as the lever 65 moves up and down under control of the cam 6|, the link will oscillate the lever 59 and cause the pawl 58 to impart a step-by-step movement to the ratchet Wheel 55 and consequently to the driving roller 48 and to the pattern chain 45. A spring-biased detent 51' co-acts with the detent wheel 51 to prevent overrunning r retrograde movement of the pattern chain.

From the foregoing it will be understood that the present invention utilizes the main cam shaft of the machine not only to impart the raising and lowering movement to the picot bar, but also to drive the separate and special pattern control mechanism which regulates the lateral shifting of the picot bar, and effects control over both movements by the provision of special lugs on the narrowing chain.

The present invention also proposes the provision of a drop-stitch bar, designated generally at 10, for each section of the knitting machine. Each drop-stitch bar 10 is secured by means of curved supporting lugs or straps 'H- on the dropstitch bar shaft 32. The supporting lugs or straps H are fixed to the drop-stitch bar and to the drop-stitch bar shaft so that the drop-stitch bars are constrained to raise and lower with the dipping frame but may be rotated from operative to inoperative positions, and vice versa. The dropstitch bar shaft 32 is secured against axial movement and the drop-stitch bars are fixed against movement along the axis of the shaft so that when the drop stitch bars are assembled with their shaft, and have their points lined up with the needles from which stitches are to be dropped, this alinement will be maintained although the drop-stitch bars may be swung from idle to operative position whenever desired. Each drop-stitch bar 10 is provided with a series of drop-stitch points I2, and these drop-stitch points 12 are of special construction in that they are kinked or bent so as to enable them to swing them into position without interfering with the picot bars, wherein their operative lower ends 13 They are also shorter than the transfer points so that transfer operation.

when they are lowered to operative position they will engage the beards of the needles and close them, but will not reach down far enough to pick up stitches. They accomplish their purpose by closin the beards of the needles with which they are engaged and allowing the stitches or loops on such needles to ride thereon? under the influence of the knockover bits.

The pattern chain 46 is composed mainly of a series of pairs of links or lugs designed to transmit the lateral or transverse movements to the picot bar, which are required to bring about the desired transferring of stitches. The members of each pair of such lugs are of different sizes so.

that one member of each pair is operative to effect pre-positioning of the picot bar, while the other member of each pair effects the lateral shifting of the picot bar which actually moves the stitches laterally from a position overlying one needle to .a position overlying another. When the picot bar is pre-positioned, its transfer points are brought into vertical alinement with the needles from which stitches are to be transferred. At such time the dipping frame of the narrowing mechanism, and consequently the picot bar, are in elevated position. After the picot bar has been pre-positioned the dipping frame lowers and the transfer points of the picot bar pick up stitches which are to be transferred. After this the dipping frame and the picot bar are elevated so that the transfer points of the picot bar lift the stitches off the needles. The other member of the pair of lugs of the chain then in action laterally shifts the picot bar to bring the transfer points into vertical alinement with the needles to which the stitchesare to be transferred. The next step in the operation is a lowering of the picot bar so that the transfer points place the stitches on the needles to which they are to be of these latter lugs are all of the same size so that they merely steady or back up the picot bar and prevent it from interfering with the operation of the drop-stitch bar. It is also desired, and in fact necessary in the particular construction disclosed, that these lugs, active during the operation of the drop-stitch bar, be provided for the reason that they simplify the construction, since the type here contemplate involves a step-by-step advance of the pattern chain 46 during the operation of the drop-stitch bar as well as during the Of course, the lugs which engage the roller 44 during the operation of the drop-stitch bar are incapable of effecting any transverse movement of the drop-stitch bar, inasmuch as the drop-stitch bar is not only fixed against transverse movement relative to the dippin frame but is also out of the range of action of the slide 4!.

It will be understood that the cam 2| is the usual or conventional arrangement of idle and active or working cam, and in this respect is similar to the cams 60 and 6| for the special and GI are properly set or timed for the purpose 40. descend, the picot bar also descends, but it merely of carrying out the cycle or sequence of operations just described.

While the present invention contemplates the production of lacy or net effects of many and various designs and patterns, the present construction is especially adapted for producing a fabric of the character described and claimed in my application for Knitted fabric structure, filed August 21, 1939, Serial No. 291,113. In this particular fabric construction the lacy and net effect is produced by the combined operation of transferring and dropping stitches. Of course it is to be understood that a lace and net effect may be had by either dropping stitches alone or transferring stitches alone, as well as by a combination of these operations.

- Inproducing the fabric on a knitting'machine constructed in accordance with the present invention, the machine is operated to produce the When an area of lace or net pattern is to be knitted, the knitterfirst manually shifts the picot bars to their operative positions and throws out of action the control instrumentalities for the conventional narrowing operation. Nothing further need then be done by the knitter since the narrowing chain takes over the control and at the proper time causes the dipping frameto raise and lower, and causes the separate pattern mechanism 40 to impart the necessary lateralmove- 'ments to the picot bar shaft, and consequently to the picot bars. After the transferring operations have been completed the knitter manually moves the drop-stitch bars from idle to operative position. Again the narrowing chain takes over 'the control of the operation and at the proper time causesth'e dipping frame to lower to bring '.the drop-stitch points into action and automatically cause the stitches to be dropped from the selected needles. When. the drop-stitch points idles up and down the narrowing motion since at such time it is' not laterally shifted by its separate pattern mechanism.

While I have shown and described one construction in which the invention may be advantageously embodied, it is to be understood that the construction shown has been selected merely for the purpose of illustration or example, and that various changes in the size, shape, and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A full-fashioned knitting machine of the character described having spring-beard needles,

needle cooperating elements, cam means for actuating said needles and said cooperating elements and including a cam shaft supported for rotation and for longitudinal shifting movement, narrowing mechanism including a dipping frame, narrowing-chain controlled cam means for shifting said cam shaft longitudinally, cam-operated link .and lever means between said cam shaft and plain or ordinary knitted areas in the usual way.

chain having lugs of difl'erent sizes for imparting movements of different amplitude to the slide as the pattern chain is advanced, a step-by-step motion mechanism for advancing the chain, camoperated means effective to actuate the stepby-step motion mechanism from the cam shaft when the cam shaft has been shifted longitudinally in the aforesaid one direction, and a dropstitch bar also carried by the dipping frame and raised and lowered thereby and manually shift- .able into and out of operative position, said dropstitch bar having drop-stitch points to close the beards of the needles with which they are engaged when the dipping frame is lowered and allow stitches on such needles to ride thereoff under the influence of said needle cooperating elements, said drop-stitch points terminating short of the points on the needles where they would be effective to pick up stitches therefrom.

2. An attachment for use on full-fashioned knitting machines of the type having a series of needles, needle cooperating knitting elements and means for actuating needles and their cooperating elements, and com-prising a picot bar having transfer points cooperable with the needles for transferring loops from certain of said needles to other of said needles, a longitudinally shiftable shaft carrying said picot bar, a vertically shiftable dipping frame carrying said shaft, camoperated link and lever means interconnected with said dipping frame for raising and lowering the same, a slide engageable with one end of said picot bar shaft and effective to impart longitudinal movement thereto, a pattern chain cooperable with the slide to shift the slide longitudinally, and a cam-actuated step-by-step motion mechanism interconnected with the chain for advancing the same with a step-by-step motion, said pattern chain including a series of pairs of lugs in direct driving engagement with said slide and with the members of each pair of lugs of different sizes, and with one member of each pair of lugs designed to effect pre-positioning of the picot bar and the other member of each pair effective to impart the movement to the picot bar required for traversing stitches during the transfer operation.

3. An attachment for use on full-fashioned knitting machines of the type having a series of needles, needle cooperating knitting elements and ing-elements, and comprising a picot bar having transfer points cooperable with the needles for transferring loops from certain of said needles to other of said needles, a longitudinally shiftable shaft carrying said picot bar, a vertically shiftable dipping frame carrying said shaft, cam-operated link and lever means interconnected with said dipping frame for raising and lowering the same, a drop-stitch bar supported on said dipping frame so as to be constrained to be raised and lowered thereby and having dropstitch points of such length so as to close the beards of the needles with which they are engaged when the dipping frame is lowered and allow stitches on said needles to ride thereofl' under the influence of said needle cooperating elements, a slide engagement with one end of said picot bar and effective to impart longitudinal movement thereto, a pattern chain cooperable with the slide to shift the slide longitudinally, and a cam-actuated step-by-step motion mechanism interconnected with the chain for advancing the same with a step-by-step motion, said pattern cliain including a-series of pairs of lugs with the members of each of said pairs of 8. An attachment l for use on. full-fashionedlugs of different sizes whereby one member of each of said pairs of lugs pre-positions the picot bar and the other member of each pair of lugs imparts the traverse movement of the picot bar required for transferring the stitches, said pattern chain also having other pairs of lugs with the members of said last-mentioned pairs of lugs of the same size and cooperable with the picotbar to steady the same and prevent its interference with the drop-stitch bar during the operation of dropping the stitches.

4. An attachment for use on full-fashioned knitting machines having spring bear-d needles and narrowing mechanism including a dipping frame, and comprising a shaft supported on the frame 'for axial shifting movement, a picot bar secured to the shaft and having a plurality of transfer points cooperable with spaced needles when the frame is dipped, a drop stitch bar supported on said frame so as to be adjustable from an inoperative to an operative position, said drop stitch bar having a plurality of drop stitch points alined and engageable with needles intermediate those with which the transfer points are cooperable when the drop stitch bar is in its operative position, and a pattern mechanism cooperable with said shaft for pre-positioning and traversing the picot bar and for maintaining it in idling position when the drop stitch bar is functioning.

5. An attachment for use on full-fashioned knitting machines having spring beard needles and narrowing mechanism including a dipping frame and comprising a shaft supported on the frame for axial shifting movement, a picot bar secured to the shaft and having a plurality of transfer points cooperable with spaced needles when the frame is dipped, a drop stitch bar supported on the frame so as to be adjustable from operative to inoperative position, said drop stitch bar having a plurality of drop stitch points distributed along its length, said drop stitch points being alined with certain needles and being angled so that their lower ends will be disposed in between transfer points and engageable with alined needles to close the beards thereof when the'drop stitch bar is in its operative position and the frame is dipped.

6. An attachment for use on full-fashioned knitting machines having spring beard needles, needle cooperating elements including knock-over bits and narrowing mechanism including a dipping frame and comprising a picot bar mounted on said dipping frame and having a plurality of transfer points cooperable with spaced needles when the frame is dipped, and a drop stitch bar secured to the frame and having a plurality of drop stitch points cooperable with certain needles to close the beards of the needles with which they are engaged and allow the stitches on such needles to ride thereofi under the influence of said knockover bits.

7. An attachment for use on full-fashioned knitting machines having spring beard needles, needle cooperating elements including knock-over bits and narrowing mechanism including a dip ping frame and comprising a picot bar mounted on said dipping frame and having a plurality of transfer points cooperable with spaced needles when the frame is dipped, a drop stitch bar supported on said frame so as to be adjustable from an inoperative to an operative position and a pattern mechanism to pre-posi-tion and traverse the picot bar when transferring stitches and to maintain the picot bar in idling position when the drop stitch bar is functioning.

knitting machines of the type having a'series of needles, and narrowing mechanism including a dipping frame and comprising a longitudinally shiftable shaft carried by said frame, and a picot bar secured to said shaft and having transfer points, :and a pattern mechanism cooperable with the picot bar shaft and having a pattern chain including a series of pairs of lugs in driving rela-,

tion to said shaft and with the members of each pair of lugs of different sizes whereby one member of each of said pair of lugs pre-positions the picot bar with its transfer points in alinement with needles from which stitches are to be trans ferred and the other member of each pair of lugs imparts the traverse movement .to the picot bar required for transferring stitches from certain needles of the series to other needles thereof.

9. An attachment for use on full-fashioned knitting machines of the type having a series of needles and narrowing mechanism including a dipping frame, a picot bar mounted on said frame and having a plurality of transfer points cooperable with the needles, and a pattern mechanism having a pattern chain including a series of lugs in driving connection with the picot bar and effective to pre-position the transfer points in alinement with needles from which stitches are to be transferred and a second series of lugs also in driving connection with the picot bar and effective to impart the traverse movement to the picot bar required to transfer stitches from certain of said needles to other of said needles,

10. An attachment for use on full-fashioned knitting machines of' the type having a series of spring beard needles and narrowing mecha nism including a dipping frame and comprising a shaft supported on said frame for axial shifting movement, a picot bar secured to said shaft and having a plurality of transfer points cooperable with spaced needles, a drop stitch bar mounted on said frame and having drop stitch points engageable with certain of said needles and a pattern mechanism for controlling said shaft and including a pattern chain having three sets of lugs, one to pre-position the transfer points in alinement with the needles from which stitches are to be transferred, the second set being eflfective to impart the traverse movement to said shaft required to transfer the stitches, and the third set maintaining the shaft, its picot bar and transfer points in idling position when the drop stitch bar is functioning.

11. An attachment for knitting machines of the type having a series of spring beard needles and a narrowing mechanism including a clipping frame and comprising stitch transfer means mounted on the clipping frame and cooperable with needles of said series to transfer stitches from certainneedles thereof to other needles thereof, drop stitch mechanism mounted on said frame and adjustable from an inoperative t'oan operative position and effective when in its operative position to drop stitches from certain needles and a pattern mechanism cooperable with said transfer means and effective automatically to bring the transfer means into cooperative relation with the needles from which stitches are to be transferred and then traverse the transfer means to efiect the transfer of stitches and also cooperable with said transfer means to maintain the same inidlingposition when the drop stitch mechanism'isfunctioning.

12.-An attachment for 1188101! a flat'full fashioned knitting machine or the .type having a series of needles, needle cooperating elements and means for actuating the needles and their cooperating elements, and comprising a picot bar supported adjacent the needles for movement relative thereto both vertically and horizontally,

10 means for raising and lowering said picot bar relative to the needles, and means for smlung the bar transversely relative to the needles and including a slide interrelated with the bar to move the same transversely, a pattern chain having lugs of difierent sizes in driving connection with the slide to impart pre-positioning and traversing movement to the picot bar, and means for imparting a step-by-step movement to said chain. r

JOHN D. MOYER. 

